While pushing the the blade with your fingers, stroke the blade until it reaches the other edge of the whetstone, then pull the blade back until it reaches the edge of the whetstone. You can consider this sharpening process is removing the burrs on the edge (After Sharpening Face side of blade).
Place the heel of your knife on the far edge of the stone, holding the blade at the desired angle (using an angle guide if needed). Applying even pressure, slowly pull the knife over the stone toward you. The blade should move smoothly across the stone.
Using the Wrong Pressure or Angle
It's important to maintain a constant angle when sharpening and to also make sure you're applying the right amount of pressure. Too much, and you could end up with damage to your knife. Not enough, and it's not going to get sharp like you want it to.
This takes practice, and you have to be careful, as using a whetstone incorrectly could weaken or damage a blade's edge. It can be fixed, but still – practice and caution are key. Another thing to keep in mind about whetstones is grit, indicated by the numbers on the side of the stone.
Precision is required when using a whetstone to sharpen a blade. Not maintaining a constant angle while sharpening is a common error. It's comparable to the difficulty of painting a straight line without a guide. The possibility of a razor-sharp edge vanishes when you change the angle as you progress down the blade.
Push the point you want to sharpen with your fingers. While keeping the angle and pushing the point with your fingers, stroke the blade until it reaches the other edge of the whetstone, then pull the blade back until it reaches the edge of the whetstone. This back and forth is counted as one stroke.
Drag your knife towards you with a firm, even pressure at a 15 to 20-degree angle. Keep in mind that these angles may vary slightly depending on the type of blade you have. Continue repeating these strokes about ten times, then turn the blade over and sharpen the other side.
Short answer is whatever feels comfortable and works for you. I tend to do back and forth while gradually moving up and down the blade. On my cheap utility knives, this works fine all through the grits, then I finish with edge leading on the steel.
A whetstone can help you to keep the blade of a knife nice and sharp with just one or two strokes, which saves time in the kitchen.
Another term often used for sharpening stones is whetstone. Both terms mean exactly the same. After all to whet is to sharpen! It is a rather dated term but one that is still used regularly.
A 17 to 20 degree angle covers most kitchen knives, pocket knives, and outdoor knives. Some knives (typically Japanese manufacturers) will sharpen their knives to roughly 17 degrees. Most western knives are roughly 20 degrees. In fact, a 20 degrees angle is often considered the best sharing point for most knives.
Using even pressure, slowly drag the knife over the stone toward you down the length of the stone while simultaneously moving the knife such that the contact point moves toward the tip of the blade.
One of the first things that you should think about when deciding whether to push or pull a knife while sharpening is the orientation of the cutting edge. The best way to assess this is to look at whether the edge trails or leads as you push or pull it.
With moderate pressure, slide the blade forward and across the whetstone, covering the entire length of the blade and keeping the blade flush against the stone at a constant 22-degree angle. Do this 10 times, then flip the knife over and give the other side of the blade 10 strokes on the whetstone.
Hold the handle of your knife in your dominant hand, and place the heel of the blade on one end of the whetstone, applying pressure to the blade with the fingers of your other hand. With even pressure, and long, smooth strokes, run the entire edge of the blade along the whetstone.
In order to get the maximum effect from whetstones and oil stones you'll need to lubricate them. Whetstones ( water stones) typically need to be soaked in water, and oil stones need ceramic oil applied. When you attempt to sharpen your knives without enough lubrication your sharp edge will typically have more burrs.
DRY AND STORE YOUR WHETSTONES
Soaking stones can take up to two days to dry. Dry them properly before storing them to avoid moisture-related damage to the stone or the box. Splash-and-go stones should dry in a few minutes.
Begin sharpening: With your knife at a 22.5-degree angle, slowly draw the knife down and across the stone in a smooth motion, starting at the heel and finishing at the tip. Repeat: Once you've begun sharpening, repeat this action five times.
If your knives are very dull or have nicks and chips, start with a coarse grit, such as 200 to 400, to remove the imperfections and reshape the edge. Once you have achieved the desired shape, move on to a medium grit, around 1000 to 3000, to refine the edge and remove any remaining scratches.
Many whetstones require to be soaked before you can sharpen with them and generally speaking, you'll need to do this for between 15 and 20 minutes. Some whetstones can be stored in water permanently which eliminates the need to soak them before each use.
Common mistakes include twisting, pressing down or pausing the stroke of knives as you pull them through the sharpener slot. This can cause oversharpening (the loss of too much metal) or result in an uneven edge.
A lot of tools can bring dull blades back to life, but professional chefs and experts agree that the best knife sharpener is a whetstone. That's because every time you sharpen a knife, you remove metal from its edge, wearing away at your precious blade.